Oakland, San Jose to get new Honolulu flights

Alaska Airlines will continue its expansion of Bay Area-Hawai‘i flights with new, nonstop daily service to Honolulu from Oakland and San Jose, starting April 10. The airline already flies from the latter two airports to Maui, Kaua‘i and Kona on the Big Island.

The flights will leave Oakland at 8:55 a.m., arriving in Honolulu at 11:20 a.m., and depart San Jose at 10:30 a.m., landing at 12:55 p.m. For the return from Honolulu, flights take off for San Jose at 12:20 p.m., arriving at 8:20 p.m., and for Oakland at 1:55 p.m., landing at 9:55 p.m.

The new routes, which helps offset the sharp reduction in service caused by Aloha Airlines’ shutdown in 2008, will bring Alaska’s total to nine daily flights to the islands from Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento. In March, the airline will begin daily service to Kaua‘i and Kona from San Jose and Oakland; it currently offers three flights a week between San Jose and Kaua‘i and between Oakland and Kona, and four flights a week between San Jose and Kona and between Oakland and Kaua‘i.

The airline is offering discounted inaugural fares of $149 each way, plus taxes and fees, for flights between April 10 and June 9, 2012. As usual, though, a number of restrictions (including Monday-Thursday schedules and limited seats) apply; tickets must be purchased by Friday, Nov. 4. Local radio stations are also participating in a giveaway of 160 tickets (a plane’s worth); for details, click here or search on Twitter using #nuts4honolulu.